I am having friends over for dinner. How much wine do we need?

This question can be tricky, even if you know your friends’ preferences fairly well! People who enjoy wine can drink a glass prior to dinner, and often another glass with dinner, maybe even two for a longer meal. So one-half of standard 750mL bottle per person is a reasonable rule of thumb.

How many grapes does it take to make a bottle of wine?

Please explain the Sweetness Scale on your wine labels and website.

We recently added a qualitative scale to our website and wine labels to help customers understand the approximate sweetness of a particular wine.

The true perception of sweetness we experience depends on many factors, including the residual sugar of the wine; the amount and type of acidity; the amount of tannin; the nature of foods consumed before or along with the wine; etc. (The demarcation between Dry and Semi-Dry on the scale is about 1.0% RS, and between Semi-Dry and Semi-Sweet about 3.0% RS, but again, the rating of each wine on this scale depends on several factors.)

How long have you been making wine?

When do you harvest your grapes?

We normally start harvesting in mid-September and finish by late October. We do not pick every day in this period; we choose the best moment for each variety.

Grapes destined for Late Harvest wines are normally picked in late October to early November after experiencing a couple of light frosts. Those for Ice Wine are left to freeze on the vine and are picked by hand at 10-15 degrees Fahrenheit, usually in late November or December.

Do you pick the grapes by machine or by hand?

The answer is both! We pick about two-thirds of our grapes with a 1973 vintage harvester and a 4-man crew. Our native European grapes (Riesling, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc) are picked by hand. Our Vidal Blanc Ice Wine grapes are also picked by hand, in early winter, at 10-15 degrees, with gloved hands and cold fingers!

When do you bottle your wines?

How sweet is Vidal Blanc Ice Wine?

Our Vidal Blanc Ice Wine is an intensely sweet wine of great complexity, with apricot and honey aromas. The perception of sweetness depends not only on the amount of sugar in the wine, but also on the level of natural acidity, the amount of alcohol, the types of flavors, and on the nature of food consumed before or with the wine. It also depends on our expectations. Strawberry preserves are about 60% sugar, more than twice as sweet as Ice Wine, but the natural sweetness is balanced by tartness. It tastes as we expect...we just enjoy it. So it is with our Vidal Blanc Ice Wine, once you know its luscious sweetness and exotic flavors!